The Things You Do For Love
by angeldemonpinkpup
Summary: It is the future and Billy is still an idiot in high school...or is he? What's behind that dopey smile? Read to find out!
1. Village Idiot

I leaned over the toilet bowl, still gagging slightly at the awful things I had eaten today. I took a deep breath and wiped my mouth with the back of my sleeve. I stood up straight and without even looking, I flushed the disgusting contents down the drain. I guess in all honesty, I could stop eating the stuff that makes me throw up on a nightly basis. It would make life easier, though my persona as the town dip-shit would disappear and I don't want that.  
It may seem strange to someone on the outside looking in. Why do I torment myself so? Why do I hide my vast intellect behind a mask of stupidity when I could easily show off my genius and make something of myself? I could go anywhere, do anything. It's simple really. I don't want to go anywhere, I like where I am. I don't care what I do, as long as she is there. The "she" here, being the object of my affection. You could say that she the center of my universe. Where she goes, I go. What she does, I must also do. I admit, I am over-explaining myself. Let me make it simple.  
My name is Billy. For many years, I have pretended to be the "village idiot," so to speak. My only reason for doing this is because I know it's what she wants.  
She is Mandy. She is smart, powerful, deadly even and incredibly intelligent. She has gorgeous light blonde hair and big electric-blue eyes.  
You might be thinking, 'if she's so smart, wouldn't she be more interested in someone more her speed?' You'd be wrong. She likes the fact that I am so simple-minded I would follow her anywhere and do her bidding.  
Of course, when I first met her, my intention wasn't to act like a total buffoon. I rang and rang her doorbell, just to annoy the neighbor. It used to be a favorite pastime of mine. Then she opened the door. We were only three, but I knew I was smitten. Her little golden hair tied up in a bow, her big blue eyes looking straight through me. I couldn't help myself. I knew it was dumb, but I pointed out what I first noticed.  
"You don't have a nose!"  
She glared at me, "Are you some kind of idiot?"  
I meant to offer her some ice cream as a sort of apology. Instead, I shoved it in her face out of sheer nervousness. Needless to say, she quickly slammed the door on my face.  
Yet somehow, not long after that incident, she came to me and proclaimed that I was to be her best friend. That was probably the greatest day of my life. I realized quickly that she didn't want a traditional best friend. She was more interested in finding a lackey. I didn't care, I could easily play dumb.  
Now after twelve years of playing the role of idiot, I am a pro. The job does have its downsides, however. Barfing in my toilet on a regular basis because as the idiot, I eat any and all inedible objects is a good example.  
I know, I know you're all thinking 'Wouldn't it be easier to give it up? Move away and never look back. Forget this girl. She's obviously not worth it.' Unfortunately for me, she is.


	2. Questions and Alarms

Mandy snarled angrily and stared at Billy's house while she stood at the bus stop. _The idiot's late again! This time I swear I'll kill him_.

Mandy had gotten to the bus stop a little bit too early that morning. She had expected to see Billy there as well and was warily surprised to see Irwin instead. If Irwin was like any other nerd, she would've simply ignored him. However, the poor sap was hopelessly in love with her. No matter how many times she beat his face in, he came back with a handful of roses and a hopeful grin on his face. This morning he was there, chatting in her ear about love. Mandy never paid him much mind but his constant talking was starting to give her a headache.

"You know Mandy, we make quite the pair you and I. We could be like chocolate and vanilla. What do you say baby?"

"I say vanilla and chocolate doesn't go together, EVER." Mandy stressed the ever to get her point across. Unfortunately, Irwin didn't seem to understand.

"What? Vanilla and chocolate go great together like…like chocolate and vanilla swirled pudding, vanilla cake with chocolate frosting…on top…" he raised his eyebrows suggestively when he said "on top" making Mandy gag.

Mandy punched Irwin so hard in the face he fell backwards into the ground, hard.

"Ouch..." Irwin mumbled while rubbing his smarting buttocks. He stood up and noticed for the first time that Mandy seemed to be fixated on something. He looked in the general direction and scowled.

_Billy's house, of course! No matter what I do, she only pays attention to him! It's like... _then it dawned on him_, Of course! It's the only thing that makes sense! She's in love…with Billy…_ Irwin's heart sank at the realization.

Irwin noticed the bus coming towards them and heard Mandy growl in frustration. She was clearly upset that Billy hadn't joined them and she was bound to leave Irwin to go investigate what was keeping her "best friend."

Irwin sighed, "I give up" he muttered.

Mandy turned around shocked, "What?" she said. Irwin's heart sank even more when he recognized the hopefulness in her voice.

"I give up. It's obvious your heart is already taken."

Mandy gave Irwin her famous death-glare, "What?" she muttered murderously.

"You-you love Billy, don't you? It's kinda obvious you like him a lot more than you let on."

Mandy's eyes widened in shock, clearly she hadn't expected this. Irwin boarded the bus and turned back to see Mandy rendered speechless for once. She blinked, her face contorted to rage, her mouth open about to reply…

Irwin just shook his head at her, "Just think about it" he said sadly. Mandy's mouth closed again and she had a puzzled expression on her face. The bus driver, seemingly unaware of the situation watched as Irwin boarded the bus. He then turned his attention to Mandy and asked in a bored tone if she wished to get on the bus as well.

Mandy glared at him and shook her head. "I'll walk." She muttered simply. The bus driver shrugged, he never really liked Mandy anyway. One day without her on the bus would be a nice change.

As the bus rounded the corner out of the neighborhood, Mandy turned down the road towards Billy's house. _Do I love him? Of course not, love is pointless. Love is for the weak-minded and he is an idiot, a dead idiot for making me walk!_ As Mandy headed up his porch-steps, she plotted her revenge.

Billy's POV:

I moaned happily and rolled about in my cocoon of sheets, enjoying the warmth. My dreams filled with a world of happiness and Mandy telling me things the real Mandy would probably never say.

"Billy?" She looked up at me with a warm sparkle in her blue eyes I had never seen before.

"Yes, Mandy?"

She looks away shyly, "I-I…"

"What is it?" I ask, as softly as if I were talking to a delicate flower.

She looks up at me, sorrow in her eyes, as if unsure how I'll react to what she's going to tell me.

"It's ok, Mandy. You can tell me anything."

"I-I think, I think I'm in love."

"With who?" I ask, thinking I know the answer.

She smiles bizarrely, "IRWIN!"

My jaw drops, "Wh-WHAT?" My heart feels like it's been ripped to shreds and then set on fire.

She turns and runs to someone behind me. I turn around and see Irwin, arms wide open to receive her. She runs into his arms and he scoops her up and twirls her around.  
Irwin turns to me with a smirk, "Isn't it great, Billy? She's finally accepted that I'm the one and only man for her!"

Mandy beams at me, "Yeah Billy isn't it wonderful? And it's all thanks to you!"

I sink to my knees. It is all thanks to me! After all, if I hadn't taken over Mandy's body and kissed Irwin he wouldn't have been smitten by her. At the time, it had seemed like a funny prank. Now, it's probably the biggest accidental self-troll that anyone has ever done to himself. _Why? Why did I do this to myself?!_

Out of nowhere, Mandy screams at me, "GET UP!" I look at her confused and then realize that something is hurting my face.

I slowly open my eyes to see real Mandy staring down at me evilly. One hand is gripping me by the collar, the other slightly raised. It registers in my brain that she has smacked me in an attempt to wake me up. That is why my face hurts.

I quickly cross my eyes and stick out my tongue, "Hey Mandy." I say, blurrily. "What's up?"

"What's up?" Mandy says in that dangerous monotone as she drops me back onto my bed. "I'll tell you 'what's up.' Because of you, we are late to school AGAIN!"

I stare at her confused, then look at my alarm clock. It reads 7:58. _Crap! We only have two minutes until school starts! But I have to play it dumb…_

"Uhhh…I-I thought I'd set it right this time…"

Mandy walks over to my alarm clock and notices what I've "failed" to do. She sighs angrily, "Billy, you idiot! You have to set it to AM not PM!"

"But I thought P.M. meant Pre-Morning!"

Mandy grabbed her temples and moaned, "Just get ready, imbecile."

"Err… But how will we get to school before..?"

"We'll have Grim take us! No get ready before I really pummel you!" She snapped. She walked to my door and turned back for a moment to mutter, "I'll be downstairs."

She closes my door and a few minutes later, I hear the TV click on. I race around my room getting ready at top-speed, something I have perfected over the years. All the while, thanking fate and all the gods that ever existed that Mandy isn't really in love with Irwin.


	3. Notes

Grim's POV:

Dang brats, after all these years of "friendship" or as I like to call it "my own personal Hell," you'd think they'd grow tired of me and leave me alone. Since the kids started High School I've seen less of them. I'm not complaining of course! If boarding school were an option, I'd make sure they go there…except they'd probably drag me along. Stupid kids nothing has changed. Mandy still treats me like a slave and Billy…well Billy's alright. He's the dumbest idiot on the planet but at least he's nice to me.

Today I get to bring the kids to school…seems Billy forgot to set his alarm properly…again. If I didn't know better, I'd say he did it on purpose with the hopes of skipping school. It's a good thing I know better. Billy's not that smart. A rock is smarter than Billy.

After I drop the kids off I usually go back to Mandy's house to start on my chores. I can't even recall anymore how she managed that. They used to be her chores. I'm sure there was some process, some way she tricked me into doing them. My memories of that are fuzzy. In my head, one day she was doing them, the next, I was. Today however, Mandy wants to use me for her project in history class. _Great. Nuttin' better dan bein' used as a prop for another school presentation! _

I follow her into the classroom and am surprised to see Billy there. See as a genius Mandy is taking AP classes. How Billy managed to convince his counselor to let him in here is beyond me. _He probably jus' wants to be wit Mandy. _I never understood and probably never will understand their friendship. I can see how Mandy benefits she gets a mindless puppet to boss around but what does Billy get?

Mandy snarls "come on Bone-head, we're first."

I sigh and make my way to the front of the class. Mandy quickly wraps me in toilet paper and pulls a giant sarcophagus from the corner of the room along with a poster. _Great, an Egyptian project…my favorite. _

Mandy goes through her presentation. After much applause and humiliation on my part, we finally get to sit down. I sit down next to Billy and scowl in Mandy's direction. She just looks to the front with a smug grin on her face.

I grunt in frustration and then notice that Billy hasn't been paying attention. He's too busy furiously scribbling in his notebook. _Probably just doodling dinosaurs and cops again. _But curiosity gets the better of me and I lean forward. To my surprise it seems as though Billy is actually taking notes. Here and there I recognize bits of Mandy's lecture that I had paid attention to. On the sides of his notes are what appear to be detailed drawings of mummies and pyramids with equations to figure out how big a mummy was in life and all formulas associated with pyramids. I shake my head. I must be dreaming! When I open my eyes, Billy's notebook is closed and he's looking at me with an idiotic grin on his face.

"Great job Grim! You make a great mummy!" He exclaimed.

My initial shock is over. I must've imagined those things. I frown and grumble non-committal nonsense under my breath. Billy grins even wider and turns to face the front as some kid with brown hair nervously approaches the front of the class.

By the time the class is over, Billy hadn't presented anything. I give him a questioning look but Mandy answers. "Billy never does presentations anymore. Not after the first one." She glares in Billy's direction and then shrugs. "Guess all the teachers just know better." I nod slowly though now I'm not sure I believe it. Mandy growls "you can go home now Grim. I mean if you want to follow the prince of idiots I guess you can."

I shrug. "I tink I'll just go home."

Mandy shrugs as well and starts to walk away. "Fine by me. See you later." She casts a glance back at Billy who smiles and waves.

"Bye Mandy! See you at lunch!" He yells.

She snarls and walks away. Something about her behavior is puzzling but I don't really care. I go to leave when the curly-haired history teacher pokes his head out of the classroom door. "Billy, I'd like to speak to you." He says in an almost secretive voice.

"Sure thing!" Billy grins, sticking his tongue out and runs to the room. He turns around "Bye Grim!"

The door to the classroom shuts. I'm struck by more curiosity but I decide it's not important and start the long walk home.

Billy's POV:

After saying goodbye to Grim, I follow Mr. Nile into the classroom. He turns around and smiles, "Did you write notes?"

I nod and he nearly squeals with delight. It takes all of my willpower not to roll my eyes. You could say Mr. Niles is a fan of my work. He and all the other teachers have agreed to let me act dumb in exchange for doing the work and handing it in when everyone else has left. I didn't do this in elementary school. After all, the teachers pass you even if you fail. Which doesn't seem right but I didn't mind back then. High School is a different story. Believe it or not, I'd like to go to college someday and bad grades don't cut it. So early in the year, I approached the principal. He was surprised and happy to know that I am not in fact an idiot. He readily agreed but others like Mr. Nile needed some proof. I handed him my notes once and he went ballistic.

Everyday now I get to hand him my notebook and watch him wiggle in excitement over every little thing. I guess I shouldn't be too upset. Mr. Nile is one of the only people who know my secret and he's happy to keep it. He gets to the page with the mummies and pyramids and nearly faints.

"All of these accurate calculations!" He says, placing a hand delicately on the paper as if somehow he can transfer my intelligence from the page to his head. He shakes his head then laughs. "You know Billy you are possibly the smartest man alive!"

I look down and rub my neck in embarrassment. He smiles in my direction. "You may be even smarter than that friend of yours Mandy…" His smile disappears and a terrified expression crosses his face. "D-don't tell her I said that, heh." He chuckles nervously.

I smile, "Don't worry Mr. Nile, I won't."

He looks relieved then motions toward my notebook. "Would you mind if I..?"

"No not at all!" I grin. I know he just wants to show it off to the other history teachers during his lunch break.

"Oh thank you Billy! Great work as always and don't worry. I'll write you a late pass for your next class."

"No need." I say, holding up a hand. "I've still got three minutes and my next class isn't too far away." _Not to mention that teacher won't care anyway. She loves my work too. _But I don't say that out loud. I just smile, nod and make my way to my advanced math class. 


	4. The Plan

Endsville mall, Eris' POV:

I take a sip of my diet cola delicately through a straw. My eyes turned toward a man in a shopping department. He slowly pulls open a changing stall door and shrieks when he meets one of my eight-eyed demon minions. I sigh. _Chaos just isn't as fun as it used to be. _The man runs, screaming in pure terror towards a woman manning a cupcake kiosk. She spots the monster and in turn, knocks over the kiosk, sending cupcakes everywhere. I turn my head and pout, _what's wrong with me? This sort of thing usually cracks me up…spilled cupcakes, what's funnier than that? _

One cupcake rolls under the feet of some teen ditching school and he trips, causing his cigarette to fly through the air. The cigarette lands on a banner that reads: 20% off all clothes. The banner catches fire and falls to the ground which incinerates a pile of t-shirts. Again I sigh. My lackluster attitude is enough to make me get up and take my diet cola with me outside. I find an unoccupied bench and sit down. My ears catch the scene behind me, but I can't be bothered to look back. _I just don't care…but why is that? I am Eris, Goddess of discord and chaos. That mall has been one of my favorite places for chaos. Maybe that's it. Maybe it's become too mundane for my tastes. I need a challenge. _

I place my hand to my head, mulling over the possibilities. I could try to take over the world again._ Only one problem with that…Mandy, _I scowl. As long as that smart-alec lives, she'll always get in my way and she's not easy to kill. _What if you don't then? _A strange voice in my head ponders. _If I don't kill her, how am I supposed to take over? _I snap back in my head. _Well…you could just take away her smarts. She can't stop you if she's an idiot! _I grin evilly. _Perfect! Oh but what about Grim and that…Billy kid? _I ask fretfully, knowing full well that they could ruin things for me. The voice responds easily, _if Grim gives you problems, just seduce him! As for that moron…he couldn't stop a toddler from taking over! _I nod thoughtfully. _Very true. _

I decide to go through the pros and cons in my mind.

Pros:

1) I become the most powerful being in the universe.

2) I'll finally get rid of that blonde brat and her lame sidekicks.

3) I can bring chaos to the entire universe.

4) If I get bored with that, I would have a massive human army to take over some other universe.

5) I could have any man I want. (A girl's got to have priorities!)

6) If the humans disobey, I could easily kill them with chaos.

7) It'd be more fun than hanging around the mall all day.

8) I've always wanted to rule the world (but who hasn't).

Cons:

1) If somehow I fail at taking away Mandy's smarts, she'll attempt to kill me (not that she could, but still)

2) If I succeed but she gets them back somehow, I'm doomed.

3) Her sidekicks may try to stop me (what are the chances?)

I tap my chin. Those are pretty good cons but honestly, the pros outweigh them. And I know just how to get rid of Mandy's smarts! I take a last long sip of soda as a smile spreads across my face. _This is gonna be fun! _

Billy's POV:

School ends quickly and I soon find myself walking to the bus stop.

"Yo, Billy! Can I talk to you for a sec?" Irwin's voice yells behind me.

I sigh, really wishing I could walk to the bus stop without a goofy grin on my face for once and enjoy the breeze. Instead, I plaster a wide smile on my face and clear my throat.

"Heya, Ir-win! Sure, we's can talk!" I stop and wait patiently for my best friend to catch up.

"Great!" He slows his approach and stops beside me. His hand grips my shoulder as he bends down to pant and catch his breath. _He really should work out more. _

When Irwin finally catches his breath, he gives me the most serious look I've ever seen him wear. "Billy, I have something important to say."

_I'm pretty sure you said that already. _I grin toothily, "yeah? What is it Irwin, ol' buddy-ol' pal!"

I nudge his side and he makes a sound like, "Oof!" I giggle slightly and he gives me the _please be serious for once _look. When I continue to smile at him, he sighs and shakes his head sadly. "Look Billy, this is important. It's about…" he looks around before he whispers, "Mandy."

This gets my attention and I almost blurt out, _is she ok? _Before I realize that may blow my cover. I decide to go with my signature response in these scenarios. "My bestest friend in the whole universe? What about her?"

Irwin sighs, "I don't know how to tell you this but…I struck out, again."

I feel like slapping him or yelling, _that's IT?! So what else is new? _But I don't, I pat his back comfortingly. "Hey don't sweat it, Irwin! I'm sure someday she'll looooves you" I say. _Over my dead body! Boy, I must be the weirdest guy in the world. _My mind jumps back to my dream earlier. As dream-Mandy jumps into Irwin's arms and they laugh and dance. I sigh, after all it's not like I don't want Irwin to be happy, just…not with Mandy. 

Irwin shakes his head, "no she won't" he states matter-of-factly.

_Ok, this is weird! Since when does Irwin give up on Mandy?_ "What do you mean? Of course she will!"

Irwin glares up at me, "No she won't dude! She likes…" he looks away, "somebody else."

"What?! Who?" I yell out before I realize how bad that sounds.

Irwin turns back to me and stares at me levelly before shaking his head. "I figured you knew…you are her best friend after all."

_Ok, that was snarky! But as an "idiot" I can't say anything snarky back…unless it's stupid of course. _"I know I am, but what are you?" I say pointing and sticking my tongue out while frowning at him.

Irwin gets a confused and slightly angry look on his face. Then he just shakes his head, "forget it, dude, forget I said anything. This is our stop anyway."

I look up and see the bus waiting for us. Mandy stands nearby holding some books and scanning the area. Her ice-blue eyes find mine and they narrow slightly.

"Are you dweebs coming or not?" she yells.

Irwin huffs and gives me one last, meaningful look before slinking away towards the bus. He gets in without even glancing at Mandy who seems confused but happy about the whole exchange…well, happier than normal.

I follow suit, bouncing happily toward her. "Heya Maaaaaanday! How was your day?"

"Shut up, moron and get in the bus!"

I nod happily, stick my tongue out and race toward our seat. I plop down next to Mandy and start talking about my day. "You wouldn't believ what we hadta' do in our biology class today Mandy. It was sick! They had all these sp-spiders and they…" I shuddered. My fear of spiders is one of the few things I never have to lie about.

"….annny-ways, it was gross and the teacher said we'd hafta dissect frogs this year…what's 'dissect' mean, Mandy?"

Mandy sighs, "it means cutting open an animal to look at their guts."

"Ewww!" I cry as loudly as possible. "Why would anyone do that to a poor aminal?" Tears flow easily down my cheeks and get over everything.

"Ugh! Billy, stop being an idiot! You're getting my books all wet!"

"S-s-sorry Mandy! I just can't he-help it! What if someone dissects Milk-sha-akes!"

Mandy slams one of her books shut and turns to face me. "Look, Billy no one and I mean no one would want to dissect your old, smelly cat got it? So stop blubbering!"

I nod though it takes awhile for the tears to stop. (Impressed? It takes a lot of practice!) "Th-thanks Mandy!" I wipe the snot from my nose. "Y-you're the b-best!"

Mandy scoffs, "don't mention it."

I smile goofily. She may have made fun of my cat, but that's just how Mandy shows she cares. I look around and see Irwin scowling at us from behind. I tilt my head in confusion but he shakes his head and proceeds to hide behind a book. _What was all that about? _I turn back around and glance sideways at Mandy who has once again resumed her homework. _And what did he mean when he said Mandy likes someone else? Who? _I sigh, plug my headphones into my PSP and start to play Sassy Cat and the Crystal Saucer. It's not very fun or challenging at all, but it's great for the stupid act. I find myself wondering how Mandy, Irwin and Grim would react if they knew…but especially what Mandy would think. Some part of me wants her to know, wants to break free from this dumbass prison. Another part of me is glad she will never have to find out.


	5. Late Night Visitor

**Author's note: Here it is, part 5! I'm very sorry for the wait and I appreciate all of those who've shown great interest in my fic. Honestly, it was just supposed to be a one-shot but I had this idea and I wanted to get it out there and then I realized that writing chapters is harder than I'd initially thought it would be. Though I am happy to state that I have written up an outline for what I want to happen so hopefully things will get done faster. Though, I cannot guarantee anything. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this! **

Unknown POV:

The crescent moon casts little light over the house in front of me. I don't mind. I can see pretty well in the dark. I sneak about, making no noise at all. The dwelling looms higher as I get closer. My highly sensitive ears alert me to the soft breathing of my target above me. I pinpoint the location with my eyes, a window high above the door. I scowl. There's no easy access. No trees nearby to climb. I look to the chimney. _I guess that's how I'm getting in. _

I claw my way up the uneven bricks of the chimney. It takes about ten minutes until I finally scrape my nails into the inner chamber of the structure and pull myself up with a grunt. I glance around and find a small light coming from a circular window near the other side of the chimney.

I approach the window cautiously. Any wrong moves and I risk waking the entire household and ruining my mission for the lady Eris. I shudder as I think of what she'd say if I failed. I shake my head determinedly. _I won't fail!_

I make my way to the window and peer in carefully. The atmosphere takes me by surprise. A pink and white bed lies against a wall on my left side. There's a very small amount of décor. A bedside table next to the bed nearest me holds a lamp that is now casting a low light over the room. Another bedside table on the other side of the bed seems to be home to a few pictures. I scan the rest of the room. The occupant seems to be elsewhere but I can see a meticulously kept bookcase and a closed closet to my right.

_Well this is just great! This is her room but where is she? _I flinch as my ears pick up the sound of flushing water soon overrun by water gushing from a sink. _Ah! The bathroom. _I nod, knowingly and rush out of the window into the darkness outside. I perch precariously on the rooftop's edge so that I may watch her fall asleep from a safe distance.

The rushing water ends and the sound of a door softly closing follows. I see the door to the pink room open and a girl walks in, followed by an ancient dog. Excitement flows through me. _This is it! Soon, she will fall asleep and I can carry out Lady Eris' plan! She will be so proud! _

Mandy's POV:

I wash my hands and splash my face. I look up into my flushed face. _What the Hell was with that dream?! _I shudder. The bags under my eyes look unnatural and I scowl at the mirror. My reflection counters my scowl with one of its own. The result actually scares me a bit and I look away, snarling. In frustration, I grab a hand-towel in my fist and jab at my face with it. It stings but I ignore it.

As I leave the bathroom I throw the towel angrily at the sink and flip the light switch off. My eyes take a moment to adjust to the sudden darkness. When I can finally see a bit, I stumble back toward my bedroom, half-blind. About halfway there I hear a heavy sound halfway between a snore and a shudder. I jump and then inwardly kick myself. _It's just Saliva, stupid! _I berate myself. Sure enough, my eyes adjust enough to see my ancient English bulldog, Saliva, drooling it up in the middle of the hall.

There's so much drool, I'm sure I'll trip. I could just walk over Saliva but I'm sure mom will throw a fit when she sees this. I sigh, make my way back to the bathroom and grab some old rags. I come back to the spot where Saliva is resting and mop up his drool. Once I was satisfied it was all gone, I threw the rags into the hamper in the hall closet nearby.

I bent down next to the dog and poked his side. Saliva had gone deaf a few years ago and wouldn't be able to hear me calling to him even if I held a megaphone next to his ear. The dog jumped, startled. As soon as he saw me, he got up as fast as he could, his stump-tail wagging crazily. I stood up and patted my side, wordlessly. Whether Saliva actually understood the command or simply liked to follow me everywhere, I'm not entirely sure.

I reach my bedroom and hold open the door for Saliva. I patiently wait for him to shuffle slowly in on stubby legs before I close the door behind us. The old dog stumbles toward some dirty clothes I had left on the floor earlier. I sigh. _No point in trying to move him now_, I decide as Saliva flops onto the pile. I watch him shudder and pant until his eyes start to close. It hadn't occurred to me how cold my room was. On the spur of the moment, I grab an old blanket from my closet and carefully cover Saliva with it. He doesn't move but his breathing slows, he snorts, and his tongue falls out. I take that as his way of showing gratitude and make my way back onto my bed.

I can't sleep now though. Bits of the dream that woke me up come back to me.

_I was at school. It was near the end of the day and as per usual I was awaiting the arrival of Billy. Suddenly, the principal walked up to me, a grave look on his face. I could sense what was coming but I didn't want to. He laid a hand on my shoulder. I barely heard the apology or the words behind it. I ran home, demanded an explanation from Grim but he avoided my gaze. I looked at the faces surrounding me. All of them saddened. 'No!' I felt like crying. 'This can't be happening!' _

_I ran again, unable to bear those looks. I ran until I couldn't run anymore. I screamed, for the first time I felt tears stream down my face. "Mandy…" his voice called. I looked up, hopeful. What I saw made me gasp in pain and shock. A gravestone stood before me. "Mandy…" the voice called again. I looked around frantically but I couldn't see anything. Just the stone and a soft fog that surrounded us. _

_I shook as I made my way slowly toward the stone. I didn't want to read it, but I had to know. Written in delicate script, "Here lies, B-" _

_"NOOOOO!" I'd cried as my eyes opened to the real world moments before. _

_But what did it mean?! _I ask myself, holding my head and fighting back real tears. It had been so real for a while I had really believed my best friend had died. I shudder. I grab a picture from my nearby nightstand. The frame is horribly decorated. Wood shows through a terribly done paint job. Stickers with the words "Bestest Friends Forever" and "Buddies" and the like adorn the sides crudely. The photograph inside shows myself and Billy right before we'd met Grim. His arm pulls me close and I look like I'm about ready to kill someone.

I run my hand over the picture delicately. At the time Billy had gotten me this…gift, I had acted like it was the dumbest thing I had ever seen, like I hated it. Neither Billy, nor Grim, or…anyone for that matter knew that I kept it in my drawer during the day and brought it out at night or during times of stress. _And this is definitely a time of stress. _

I think back to what Irwin had said earlier. With this nightmare having such an effect, I can't help but wonder what exactly Billy means to me. _Is it true? Do I…love him? _I grimace. _No, it can't be true. It just can't! _

I look to my right. The sleeping form of Saliva rises and falls slowly. I sigh, "Well Saliva, I guess I'll just have to figure it out, won't I?" The dog doesn't respond. I knew he wouldn't. _Still_, I smile softly to myself, _it's nice to have someone to talk about my real feelings to._ I cast a final glance down at the picture and put it aside, ready to get some sleep.

Unknown POV:

_Finally! She's asleep! _I wander quietly through her window. It had felt like she had taken forever to finally fall into a peaceful enough slumber for me to approach. I creep ever cautiously toward the bed and look down. Even with such little assistance from the moon, I can see her face clearly. She seems to be slightly distressed. The creases around her eyes grow as they narrow and she groans softly. _I better do this now before she wakes up again! _

I pull a flask from my robe and pour the contents over the sleeping figure. A dark cloud of purple-black with silver streaks surrounds my victim. I watch as the smoke-like substance enters her ears and mouth. Then I wait patiently.

A few moments later, the dark fog emerges. Somewhere within it, a pink glow, barely visible, shines through. I chuckle darkly and hold the vile out, mumbling in the ancient language. The smoke obeys and returns to the flask, with Mandy's smarts in tow. The girl below me mumbles softly, a dopey smile etches across her face.

I grin, _I have won! I have succeeded in the name of Lady Eris and soon, this world will be consumed by chaos!_ I place the flask very carefully back into my robes and sneak out the way I had come. The dark night welcomes me and a gentle breeze follows me all the way back home.


End file.
